A day after President Barack Obama identified himself with 17-year-old Trayvon Martin who was shot to death in an alleged racial crime, superstar couple Jay Z and Beyonce joined protesters across on Saturday to protest a not-guilty verdict in the case.

A call for nationwide vigils designed to press for federal action in the emotionally charged case drew thousands to one New York rally.

In a message posted on her website, Beyonce also recalled 14-year-old Till's brutal killing in 1955. "We must fight for Trayvon the same way the generation before us fought for Emmett Till," she wrote.